Safran launched three new facilities in the cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore, India along with an announcement of the largest maintenance and repair center for CFM LEAP engines.
Safran inaugurated three new production sites in India and revealed plans for the construction of a major new facility in 2025, thus further strengthening its strategic partnership with the country. Safran has worked in India for a long period of sixty-five years and presently counts 10 facilities and 750 representatives in the country. These declarations, which address more than $200 million of investment between 2018 and 2025, obviously mirror the Group’s obligation to long-haul advancement in the country.
The largest MRO center in the network, it will start operations in 2025 and will eventually offer an annual capacity of 250 to 300 engine shop visits. During the inauguration, Jean-Paul Alary, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Aircraft Engines, announced the creation of a new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for CFM LEAP engines, to be built at the industrial park of GMR. The LEAP and its predecessor, the CFM56, now power over 330 Airbus A320/A320neo and Boeing 737/737 MAX airplanes deployed by airlines in the Indian sub-continent. More than 1,500 LEAP engines are currently on order in the region.
Olivier Andriès, Chief Executive Officer of Safran, said, “With these new sites, we’re opening a new chapter in Safran’s long history with the Indian aerospace and defense industries, and we are reaffirming our commitment to the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy and sovereignty strategy. To support the country’s dynamic aviation market, with passenger traffic set to more than double in the next twenty years, we are accelerating our investments and industrial development in India. Through the creation of our largest maintenance and repair center for commercial engines, we are also paving the way to expand our MRO activities in India to military engines. With our three new production facilities and our major in-house IT center we will triple the number of employees in India over the next four years, building on the excellent local talent base. ”
Two new adjoining plants were introduced in Hyderabad, for Safran Aircraft Engines and Safran Electrical and Power. The Safran Aircraft Engines plant, traversing 15,000 square meters (162,000 sq. ft.), will make rotating parts for the LEAP motor from CFM International. It will give the extra capacity expected to meet the necessities of a production ramp-up for the best-selling commercial airplane engine of its generation. Ultimately employing 275 individuals, this plant applies the highest standards in terms of industrial processes, machinery and equipment, and sustainability, with one-third of electrical power being given by solar panels.
Jean-Paul Alary, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Aircraft Engines, said, “Our new MRO 4.0 center in Hyderabad will strengthen our global network and enable us to meet the needs of our CFM customers against a backdrop of booming air traffic in India and the region. “We benefit from the fast-growing aviation ecosystem and outstanding competencies in the State of Telangana.”
Zafran declared the making of Digit, an in-house entity entrusted with the advancement of digital systems for Safran. The entity’s two main facilities in Hyderabad and Mumbai begin tasks in the summer of 2022. Digit intends to select 1,000 individuals throughout the following five years by approaching India’s immense ability pool for the advancement of digital applications and systems, as well as network protection. Safran Electrical & Power’s plant, located in the same airport zone as the Safran Aircraft Engines plant and sharing all support functions, makes wiring for LEAP engines and the Rafale fighter. Opened in November 2018, the plant has 150 employees today, growing to 200 when it reaches full capacity.
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The third plant is being initiated in Bangalore, for Safran HAL Aircraft Engines, a 50/50 joint endeavor between Safran Aircraft Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. This new site replaces the underlying plant that dates from 2005, a greater number than multiplying the surface region and including best-in-class establishments. It’s situated in a Special Economic Zone close to the Bangalore airport. Spanning 11,000 square meters (118,800 sq. ft.), the plant makes complex piping, the most for the LEAP engine, and has around 150 employees.
